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dirty ethel rackham

By dirty ethel rackham,
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dirty ethel rackham

dirty ethel rackham

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First, K found out she had lice.  2 treatments 1 week apart and more than a week of daily nit combing, daily decontaminating,  and we still found live lice.  She was really upset and was ready to just shave her head.  That and some less than perfect med compliance meant that she was starting to get irrational.  On Friday night, she and dh ended up on a very heated argument and she was about to leave and dh was about to let her (she is mentally ill, doesn't have a job, and needs the structure and supports we provide to have regular access to medical care.)  Dh was really upset.  He rarely gets angry so he was pushed to his limit.  I had tried to smooth things over with K so she would be in a position to apologize (she tends to dig in her heels and hope for things to blow over.)  

I was awakened by dh acting strangely in his sleep.  He usually sleeps like a rock and I am only awakened by either his snoring or covers-hogging.  He said he was having a panic attack - he felt pressure in his chest and needed to breathe deeply.  In my stupor, I recognized this as something serious so I ordered him to get dressed and I took him to the hospital 2 minutes from our house.  By the time we got there, he said that the pressure went away and he felt ok again.  I made him get checked out.  Long story short ... EKG normal.  Slightly elevated cardiac enzymes.  Mild heart attack.  Dh had just had a check up this summer and his numbers all looked good (weight, lipids, bp, etc.)  His only risk factor is family history - his dad had a heart attack in his mid 50s, but his dad was overweight, ate very unhealthily due to lots of travel for work, didn't exercise, and experienced hunger as a child (as in it was the Depression, his father was in the sanitarium with TB and his mother and grandparents were destitute.)  

So, dh is stuck in the hospital until his angiogram on Monday morning and will not be home until Tuesday at the earliest.  He is bored out of his mind.  He his the healthiest sick person there.  

On the good side, in my desperation, I looked for a salon to do the nit-combing since I would be busy with dh.  I found one that specialized in in lice treatment with a 30-day guarantee and that has great reviews.  K felt so much better about things after this treatment and her protocol.  She did all the extensive decontamination of our house by herself.  She has been in a good mood and has volunteered to make dinner tonight. 

We would appreciate prayers ... that the angiogram goes well and that he recovers quickly.  

And, if you have any ideas for planning tasty heart-healthy menus, I'd love to hear them.  We typically eat pretty healthy, but the last year or two have been some backsliding.  And I'm sure the diet they give him will be a bit more restrictive.  I just want it to be appetizing.  

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umsami

umsami

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After a few experiences with lice in our home (including one where I had to shave my head!!!), I went with a professional lice service and it was the best $150 I ever spent.  Ours had a 45-day guarantee.... it worked...and all I had to do was put stuff in the dryer and such.  Well worth it.  Plus, I often spent that amount (or more) repeatedly trying to treat lice at home on my kids with very thick hair.  

I'm so glad that you were on the ball for your husband. I hope his procedure goes well, and things get back to normal for you.

There are a lot of different theories on appropriate eating for a cardiac patient....ranging from ultra low fat vegan (McDougall/Ornish), ultra low fat omnivore (Pritikin), vegetarian/vegan, high fat low carb, etc.  Mediterranean Diet still comes out on top from many experts and IMHO is one of the most livable.  I've done most of the above including a one month stay at a McDougall inspired spa and two weeks at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami.  I think higher fat is more livable to be honest.  Check out Yotam Ottolenghi's books for some great Mediterranean vegetarian recipes.   I do think that ,in general, less sugar/processed carbs is best as is more fruits/veggies/olive oil/nuts.

 

Lots of prayers headed your way. ❤️ 

 

 

 

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Katy

Katy

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I second Joel Fuhrman.  The Engine 2 diet and similar plans (very low fat, plant based, unprocessed) have great recipes that fit the plan and are more man-friendly than Fuhrman's huge salad and soup suggestions. I'd start with Engine 2 for recipes, but read Fuhrman too.  If you feel like vegging to YouTube, there are TONS of video recipes there that fit into that type of diet.

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ktgrok

ktgrok

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Hugs! Lice would be nearly enough to give me a breakdown and I have no mental health issues - parasites in general just freak me out!!! So glad she has a plan and hope to get rid of them! I bet the assurances of the salon were really helpful. 

and prayers for good angiogram results and a quick discharge

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dirty ethel rackham

dirty ethel rackham

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Thanks for all the prayers. 

Update:  

When I asked the nurse last night what time I should be here before they take him for the procedure scheduled at 8:30, they told me that they usually don't take the stable patients first.  It is usually the more emergency cases, then the outpatient procedures followed by the stable patients (like dh.)  She told me to not bother until 9.  I still planned to be here over 30 minutes beforehand.  Well, I got a text from dh about an hour beforehand that they were prepping him and about to take him down to the cath lab.  I rushed out of the house to get there - we live just minutes away.   When I got into the parking garage, there was this little old lady waiting for a car to pull out ... and she waited and she waited.  All I could think was that I was going to miss that one last kiss with my husband in case something went wrong.  Well, the people backed up behind me honked, and I just lost it.  Every fear I had been holding in came bubbling to the surface.  I was screaming at this woman to move it.  Than she proceeded to drive 1 mph through the next two levels of the parking garage before finding a spot.  I was screaming and crying the entire time.  (Good thing the windows were rolled up.)  I finally got to a parking space and practically ran.  When I got to his room, it was empty.  I found myself turning around in circles, unable to figure out what to do next, until the nurse noticed me and she took me down to the cath lab. They let me in to give him a quick kiss.  

It was a long wait.  Despite them taking him down early, the doc got tied up in another procedure that went long.  When he finally came out to talk to me, he told me that there were two arteries with 90% blockages.  They put in stents and he was doing well.  This incident was a blessing ... it allowed this problem to be fixed before it became deadly.  We will have to make some tweaks to our lifestyle from here out.  And dh will have to go through cardiac rehab.  I told him it will be like having a personal trainer :).  

Since everything was going really well and dh was sleeping, I ran back home to pick up a couple of groceries, get a bite to eat, take the dog out, and start a load of laundry.  When I got back to the room, I found out that there had been some excitement and not the good kind.  The protocol is to keep the patient laying flat for a certain time after the procedure so that the arterial entry site can seal up.  Then they try to raise the head of the bed 30 degrees while watching that site.  If that goes well, after a period of time, they raise it to 45 degrees.  Well, dh starting feeling light headed and icky shortly after the 30 degree trial.  His BP dropped dramatically.  He had blown the seal on that artery.  So, he had to lay flat while they put a pressure dressing on the artery and pushed fluids and gave O2.  He had to lay perfectly still for several hours.  He is doing much better.  The pressure dressing is off, his BP is much better and he looks better.  They also took out the 02 canula.  But, he is stuck on his back until tomorrow.  He must not move the leg that has the entry site.   It is difficult for him to get comfortable.  

The nurses have been very attentive.  Even before this complication.  I saw them more than I ever saw anyone when either of my parents were hospitalized.  

I thank you all for your prayers.  I means so much to me.  I have experienced many seasons in these past 5 years where I just had no prayers left.  Many times during K's crises, I was on my knees begging for God's mercy, only to have something else come up and kick me in the gut.  During the surgery, I found myself praying the rosary.  It's like I was afraid to ask God, so I'd just implore Mother Mary to intercede for us.  This was the first time I have felt peace while praying in a long time.  

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dirty ethel rackham

dirty ethel rackham

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1 hour ago, unsinkable said:

Any updates? 

It's too bad the hospital didn't have a 24 hour cath lab bc he'd have been done the night he went in. 

They do have a 24 hour cath lab.  But, due to the more extensive follow up required after the procedure, for the stable patients like dh (good vitals, EKG, blood work), they prefer not to do that on weekends.   And dh's experience shows us why.  The regular follow up when things are going well is staff intensive.  And for the cases like dh's where there was a complication, it is really staff intensive.    If he wasn't stable (worsening cardiac enzymes, more episodes of chest discomfort, troubling EKG, swelling, or any other sign of cardiac distress), they would have done it right then and there.  

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PrincessMommy

PrincessMommy

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oh my goodness.  They'd have to knock me out for me to keep still overnight.  I.cannot.imagine.   Also,  I can't lay flat on my back... I get terrible lower back pain.   What do patients with other issues do in such a situation, I wonder?  

I'm glad he's being well attended to.  That must be such a relief.

 

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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7 minutes ago, dirty ethel rackham said:

They do have a 24 hour cath lab.  But, due to the more extensive follow up required after the procedure, for the stable patients like dh (good vitals, EKG, blood work), they prefer not to do that on weekends.   And dh's experience shows us why.  The regular follow up when things are going well is staff intensive.  And for the cases like dh's where there was a complication, it is really staff intensive.    If he wasn't stable (worsening cardiac enzymes, more episodes of chest discomfort, troubling EKG, swelling, or any other sign of cardiac distress), they would have done it right then and there.  

I'm glad it all worked out. Two 90% blockages...That is some scary stuff!

 

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TravelingChris

TravelingChris

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3 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

oh my goodness.  They'd have to knock me out for me to keep still overnight.  I.cannot.imagine.   Also,  I can't lay flat on my back... I get terrible lower back pain.   What do patients with other issues do in such a situation, I wonder?  

I'm glad he's being well attended to.  That must be such a relief.

 

Same here. And that would be hard since for me to sleep normally it takes Trazadone (sleep med), Tizanidine (muscle relaxant) and often a low dose of pain med.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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dirty ethel rackham

dirty ethel rackham

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17 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

oh my goodness.  They'd have to knock me out for me to keep still overnight.  I.cannot.imagine.   Also,  I can't lay flat on my back... I get terrible lower back pain.   What do patients with other issues do in such a situation, I wonder?  

I'm glad he's being well attended to.  That must be such a relief.

 

I know, right?  My back hurts just thinking about it.  He is now able to move one leg and the nurse has been able to put a pillow behind his back on the other side and under his other leg.  They can't give him any pain meds because they can depress vitals.  The next shift of nurses came in and they were able to raise the head of the bed about 5 degrees and can roll him further onto his side a little.  We will be adjusting his position all night.

15 minutes ago, unsinkable said:

I'm glad it all worked out. Two 90% blockages...That is some scary stuff!

 

Yeah.  It's been pretty scary.  I am dead tired, yet jazzed at the same time.  The good news is that the caught it before it got really bad.  And, it wasn't the "widow maker" artery.  

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maize

maize

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Thanks for the update; it sounds like he is getting good professional care.

I'm continuing to pray for him and for the whole family. I remember how helpless I felt when I got a call some years ago that my dad had had a heart attack and there was nothing I personally could do to help. Are your kids holding up?

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dirty ethel rackham

dirty ethel rackham

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9 minutes ago, maize said:

Thanks for the update; it sounds like he is getting good professional care.

I'm continuing to pray for him and for the whole family. I remember how helpless I felt when I got a call some years ago that my dad had had a heart attack and there was nothing I personally could do to help. Are your kids holding up?

As far as I can tell, they are doing OK.  Ds25 is feeling a little bad about not coming home for Thanksgiving.  But we had a nice conversation ... he rarely talks on the phone, but I got a little more insight into his research at school.  Dd is worried, but is happy to be coming home tomorrow night.  She is such a sweetie.  Not only is she asking about dh, but about me as well.  K has been really attentive to things at home, much more so than in recent months.  I just have to be specific about asking her what to do and when I need it.  When I don't, her executive function difficulties get in the way and then she is irritable with me for asking anything of her. I'm beginning to see that this is a defense mechanism.  Not healthy, but at least I can understand it.  But, what bugs me is that she doesn't ask about dh.  It's breaking my heart.  It seems that the hostility that was directed at me all these years has been transferred to him.  

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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When I saw what you wrote about praying the rosary, I prayed the Hail, Holy Queen prayer for her intercession for you and your family. My 5th grade teacher, Sister M, led us with this prayer any time someone was suffering.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
            Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
            To thee do we cry, poor banished 
            children of Eve, to thee do we send
            up our sighs, mourning and weeping
               in this valley, of tears.
            Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
            thine eyes of mercy toward us; and
            after this our exile show unto us the
            blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus;
            O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

            Pray for us, O holy Mother of God

            That we may be made worthy of the 
            promises of Christ.

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